Chapter Fifty-One

The sub-basement of the lab was still dark and eerily quiet when Akira stepped off the elevator into the cool hallway. It was a bit too early for anyone to be up, but there were a few equipment adjustments that had disrupted his peace throughout the night that he wanted to get to work on. There was also the likely possibility that Tomoe would drop by to check on Kaoru before she officially had to start her own work. When there was no one else around, he felt a little more at ease conversing with her.

Genzai, and Sōzō as his escort, had long since returned to the government lab that they originated from. In order to assist Megumi with rebuilding the equipment that had been destroyed by the triggered clash between Kaoru and Kenshin, Akira had been left behind. Though Genzai had reassured the five-tailed vixen that it was unnecessary for her to worry about the borrowed equipment, Megumi had insisted on covering all costs and rebuilding it within her own facility. Akira believed it had a lot to do with Kaoru claiming that she had no memory of how she had died. If they could fix the equipment, they could possibly work with Kaoru so that they were able to view the moment personally. To be honest, Akira wondered if anyone would actually want to remember how they died, especially at such a young age.

Rubbing his hands together to create friction and warmth, Akira slid a cursory glance over the monitors in the corner before sitting at his workstation. Curiously, Kaoru was also already awake and inside the large training chamber with the salamander. As he watched, she skidded a small blue ball of flame across the floor. For a moment, his features scrunched as he imagined her frustration that it had not done what she had wanted. Instead, ice had formed wherever the flame touched, and the blue light disappeared abruptly without a trace. However, the next moment proved his assumption to be false. The flame had done exactly as instructed, it seemed, which was to create a surface of ice for Kaoru to use like a slip-n-slide.

The action was carefree and childish, and he smiled. Though he did not know this young human girl very well, he bore her no ill will. She seemed to be of a cheerful disposition, and seeing others happy always lifted his mood. The salamander soon followed her down her path of precarious fun, and Akira outright laughed as it careened into a twirl and then slammed into the prone young lady's side. Her own laughter echoed within the chamber and through the speakers, and he turned to his workstation in high spirits.

As his eyes pulled away from the monitors, they slid over the desk across from his own and paused. There was little by way of decoration or personal items on it. Not like the desk Tomoe kept in the small host lab upstairs. That desk was littered with small origami figures and doodles gifted to her from Kaoru. A desk full of quiet pride and love. Tomoe had been openly vocal about her displeasure with how long Kaoru had been kept in the sub-basement. Her silent protests were just as potent, though. The barren desk said much to him about how much she loved that young woman still giggling inside what was functionally a prison cell.

Twisted emotions tugged at his chest; conflicting feelings of affection and indignation. There was nothing that he could do to help Kaoru, but irrationally he wanted to. If only to make Tomoe happy and be more at ease. The way she cared about others, how much of herself she gave to help others, was endearing and precious to him. She protected without hesitation, and she appeared fulfilled by her convictions. Akira wanted to protect her so that she never had to worry about anything else but what she loved and enjoyed.

Except, there had been no chance to ask her out again. No chance to build upon any possible relationship that they might have. It didn't seem right to ask her with the situation as it currently was. At the same time, anxiety and fear were tightening in his gut, whispering that he shouldn't wait too long. Chances were fickle, and his was slipping away from him like water through his fingers. What if she was no longer interested in him? What if she had given up on waiting? Worse, what if she had only agreed to be polite?

The deeper his thoughts spiraled into tragic conjectures and lost hope, the harder his heart beat inside his chest. Foreign words, like otherworldly echoes, danced in his head, and his expression creased with almost desperate longing. Every claim the words spoke, each verse of yearning, struck a cord deep in his soul. They promised him what he wanted. All he had to do was follow their lead.

When Tomoe entered the room, she was surprised but mostly delighted by the beautiful tones filtering through the speakers. Kaoru rarely spoke to anyone but Kenshin, despite it being a few weeks since regaining the use of her vocal cords. Tomoe knew it had much to do with her continued isolation within the outrageous prison cell she was being kept in. As a result, any time Tomoe caught bits and pieces of her speaking, it made her happy and sad all at once. To hear her sing, however, brought about a completely different level of joy.

During the year Tomoe had taken care of her in Kenshin's absence, Kaoru's love for music had quickly become apparent. The pair of secondhand headphones Enishi had brought for her had still been in good shape in the beginning. Though she took great care with them, it had not taken long for their exterior to show wear from constant use. For a time before the metal pin had been removed from her tongue, she had even hummed along with the music. Such an outlet had been of little comfort, however, and not being able to sing had appeared painful for her. Witnessing her sing for the first time felt like a type of freedom.

Out of the corner of her eye, Tomoe caught sight of Akira seated at his workstation, and she smiled as she walked towards him.

"Good morning, Kiyosato-san. How long has she been singing?"

But the daitengu did not answer her. Instead, his eyes remained fixed upon the monitor, and his form was frozen unnaturally in place. Touching a hand to his shoulder, Tomoe frowned slightly.

"Kiyosato-san?"

There was a vacantness about his gaze, as if he were trapped in his own thoughts. Stepping in front of him, she shook him lightly.

"Akira-san!"

A gasp rushed into his mouth, and his pupils finally focused upon her face. Surprise widened his lashes, and he shot to his feet clumsily. The chair he had been sitting on sprung backwards and clattered noisily on the cement floor.

"Yukishiro-san." Jerking as the noise startled him, he flushed in embarrassment and raw confusion. "G-good morning. H-how… how long have you been here?"

The frown on Tomoe's features deepened, and she reached up a hand to flatten over his forehead in worry.

"Not very long. Are you feeling well?"

"Uh… yes. I-I'm fine."

Inside the large chamber, the song ended. In its place, a new song rolled from Kaoru's tongue. A gentle song full of sweet cords underlined by soft sorrow. Tomoe's dark coal eyes glanced behind her at the monitor, and her lips smiled quietly.

"She has such a… strangely hypnotic voice. It's not exactly perfect, but… somehow, it's still beautiful. If what Himura-san speculated is true, I could understand how onibi lured people in with their voice."

While Tomoe enjoyed the new tune freely, it affected Akira in a much different way. The anxiety and hopelessness of his own pining fell to the wayside, and instead left him feeling almost bold. Though he could not explain it, to him this new song felt like Tomoe. Like it was now guiding him out of what faults he found in himself by showing him what waited for him on the path he had chosen. Instead of leading him astray, it was showing him the way.

"Yukishiro-san." Caught up in the sudden rush of unnatural confidence and excitement twisting his insides, Akira grabbed Tomoe by the hand. The action shocked her, and she twitched even as her eyes swung back to him. Flustered, his diaphragm yanked tight against his lungs, but he somehow could not be deterred from continuing in a breathless and strained voice.

"Would you like to see a movie with me this weekend?"

Black eyes lowered quickly to one side, and his heart clenched as she was overtaken by an expression of pure bashfulness that seemed much too cute for her graceful features. She did not, however, hesitate or make him wait. Slowly her free hand extended and touched the forgotten daitengu mask lying on his desk.

"Only if you let me hold onto your mask while we're out." A gentle smile glanced up at him. "I would like to see your face the entire time."

"Ok." He agreed before thinking it all the way through, but when her smile brightened, he realized she had successfully trapped him. "Uh…" The blissful high of her concession dissipated, and nervousness returned tenfold. Would he last without his mask for an entire date? While standing beside the most beautiful woman he had ever met?

"Maybe… I could wear it while we're on the street?"

Tomoe had already rounded the desks to settle into her own seat, and she blinked at him.

"Do you not wish to be seen with me?"

"T-that's not it at all!" Stuttering, he frowned to realize the thought had truly upset her. Such a beautiful woman was worried he might not want to be seen with her?! It was nearly ludicrous. Both shoulders slumped in defeat to realize they were not so very different, and he swallowed.

"I will leave it in your hands the entire time."

Shakily, her smile returned, and he let out a long breath.

Within the large chamber, Kaoru sang now a more upbeat rhythm of cute and happy love.

X

The thermos of coffee in Kenshin's hand was already almost gone as he hiked up the steps to the lab. On top of working late, he had fought with not being able to sleep alone in his own apartment. It was tough to pinpoint exactly what was disrupting his sleep more. Fall was setting in, and cooler weather was on its way. While he didn't necessarily feel very affected by the change in the seasons, it was easier to regulate his internal temperature during the summer. Not to mention, he simply didn't like the cold.

Of course, he was still very much on an endorphin high from his now romantic relationship with Kaoru. Being away from her felt like torture. Almost like time had slowed to a crawl, when all he wanted was for time to speed up. He wanted to be with her all the time; to see her, talk to her, touch her, laugh with her. Unfortunately, being near her also felt like torture. With so many cameras watching her every move, he could not spoil or pamper her the way his heart demanded.

Then there were the dreams. Kenshin was still not certain what the significance was of the large bird-like creature that had been appearing in his dreams. Nor why it continued to snore away in its deep slumber like an annoying chainsaw. It never woke up, which Kenshin was beginning to think was a good thing. The last time it had awoken, his wound had bled out like a fountain. Whether there was an actual connection between the two or not, Kenshin wasn't sure, but he also didn't want to find out.

The dragon in his dream had shifted from aggressive to indifferent almost immediately after the first vision. It still wrapped its long body around the bubble that Kenshin believed was meant to represent his core, as well as around the bird that was draped over that bubble, but it too slept. Rather, it pretended to sleep in order to avoid interacting with him. It was all very confusing and slightly frustrating.

Recently, however, he had been plagued by different dreams. Dreams of his father and of when he was young. It was easy to discern the origin of those dreams, though. Seeing his father again, through the screen of Kaoru's memories, and hearing his voice, had reawakened all the nostalgic and homesick emotions he had thought himself past. They were not bad dreams, though, so he had no true complaints. They were, however, deeply sad to awaken from.

Stepping onto the elevator and swiping his upgraded badge to access the sub-basement, Kenshin yawned. Just that morning, his dreams had decided to remind him of the bedtime stories his father had told to him. Stories of the Kagu-tsuchi and its origin. Kenshin had nearly forgotten some of the tales, but now remembered them clearly as if just learned.

The conundrum of the Kagu-tsuchi was that it was so powerful it required a host in order to dwell on the Earth. Without a host, its power would overwhelm and consume the planet in flames. However, only one line of fire demons was strong enough to contain its power. That line, the line Kenshin was supposedly descended from, was said to be directly born from the Kagu-tsuchi itself. Each new host of the Kagu-tsuchi had fulfilled their duty for millions of years, not only as vessel to contain its power, but by making sure their line remained unbroken.

That line now ended with Kenshin.

Not only was he the last remaining fire demon on the planet, and therefore could not produce an offspring of pure descent, his sole desire now rested with a human locked in a body that was unable to bear children. Kaoru's lack of anatomy had no effect on his feelings of affection and love for her, but there was a nervous part of him that worried about what it would mean for the future if there was no one to take over as host for the Kagu-tsuchi.

Maybe I can just launch myself into space or something.

The flippant mental suggestion was only half-joking, and he scratched at his horns as the pressure of his responsibility weighed upon his mind. Currently, a dark beanie was precariously covering the horns that now sprouted from his hairline. Their outline was still partially visible through the fabric, but Kenshin was at least more at ease with them covered. He still earned startled looks on the street at times, when another demon had the ability to sense the depth and level of his powers. He had found, however, that covering his horns reduced those types of encounters drastically. Many demons were visually stimulated before they attempted to judge the fortitude of others. Without the horns giving away his markers, other were less likely to take notice.

Father said that there was lore suggesting the Kagu-tsuchi would one day create its own, perfect vessel from one of its descendants. Until that time, our line was really only meant to safeguard it.

I'm sorry that I failed, Dad. I'm sorry I… dishonored you by starting a war…

Kenshin recoiled from the downward path that spiral of thoughts threatened him with. Nearly fleeing the elevator, Kenshin hurried through the hallways and to the large observation room that had been set up to monitor Kaoru and her progress. He knew it was still too early for Megumi to be there, but waiting there was easier for him than waiting at his apartment.

Tomoe and Akira were already inside, but he ignored their soft conversation to instead study the monitors. Kaoru was playing with the salamander in the large training chamber, and he half-grinned as she braced its body atop her head and limp/ran in an attempt to help it learn control of its wings. Carefree laughter crackled the speakers followed by a shriek of excitement from the salamander.

"Good morning, Himura-san." Tomoe smiled softly over at him, and Akira turned to echo the greeting. He gave a brief nod back to the both of them.

"How long has she been up?"

"She was awake when I came down this morning." Akira's quiet voice supplied an answer.

"She's been singing." Tomoe offered the new information, and Kenshin's attention switched to her in surprise. The coal demon nodded with a smile full of pride and gentle teasing. "It's been a fun backdrop for our morning work. She has quite the catalogue of cheery love songs."

Kenshin swallowed and returned his attention to the monitors as he struggled to hide the envy flooding his brain.

"When did she stop?"

"A little while ago. You just missed it." A soft breath pulled into Tomoe's lungs, and she took pity on him. "Megumi should be down soon."

"I doubt it." His return pessimism was touched slightly with frustration. "She tends to take her time when I have to work late. I think she enjoys making me wait."

Tomoe couldn't exactly argue, and so held her tongue.

Resigned, Kenshin settled himself into the chair before the monitors, and placed his empty thermos on the narrow tabletop. Watching Kaoru without any way to interact with her was not as distracting as he had hoped it would be, however. Left to wander, his thoughts inevitably returned to his father, his most recent dreams, and his drowning feelings of failure.

Inside the large chamber, Kenshin missed the moment when sapphire eyes glanced in the direction of the cameras, and her expression morphed from happy-go-lucky to slightly pained. One of her hands had already lowered from the salamander to press over her sternum, and the blue in her eyes glowed even under the harsh overhead lights. The loving atmosphere had shifted with the addition of another presence, and a new and very different song threaded through the room.

"Nothing comes easy…"

As the opening cords rang into his ears, Kenshin's violet eyes lifted with haunted unease, even as a strangely welcoming greed twisted in his chest. It wasn't until words from the chorus finally brought her voice to a mellow and yet powerful crest, however, that the song truly touched the turmoil buried deep inside of him.

"My son… Always do the best you can… Lean a helping hand, and be a good man."

Emotion tangled so harshly in his throat that he feared he would never breathe through it. Though Kaoru sang the words, to Kenshin, they seemed to come from someplace else altogether. A place he needed to hear them from.

"My son… Always stand for what is right… Darkness tries to mend… When you find a good fight."

The blue glow of her eyes mesmerized, even through the screen, and he stared transfixed into the abyss of blue flames as she beckoned him to follow her. To follow her through the labyrinth… and towards what he feared was an impossible goal.

"Oh, my son."

But then the guiding light of her eyes flickered and vanished, and he stood abruptly. Blinking violet irises stared into the monitor almost desperately, only to find that the music had pulled Kaoru into a direction of her own. Grabbing up the salamander in both hands, she twirled him into a circle and continued, her eyes and mouth now smiling.

"My father told me… 'Never back down from anything.' My advice to you is the same."

Free and clear, her voice carried with all the love she had in her own heart, and the unease inside of him was soothed. Slowly, red lashes fell, and he listened only to her words and the compassion that she was trying to convey.

"That's okay to be afraid… But never let fear control your fate…"

Gently, a smile pulled at his lips, and the emotion in his throat cleared.

"'Cause you can do anything."

As she continued back into the bridge and chorus, Kenshin jumped when a hand touched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Are you alright, Himura-san?"

"Y-yes." But he had to tilt his head slightly away. Trying to cover his emotion, he changed the topic in a hurry.

"I… I think onibi do sing. I mean…" Standing straight, his voice finally lowered back to normal. "I think singing might be a power Kaoru has."

"Did it have an affect on you?" Tomoe's voice sounded slightly worried, and she glanced at Akira who looked thoughtful. "Kiyostao-san did appear to be frozen when I first came in. Kaoru was singing then. But it didn't affect me the same way."

Kenshin turned toward the diatengu and frowned. The expression must have made the other man nervous, because he shot to his feet as well.

"I-it did affect me… a little. I mean… I was feeling a-a bit… bit hopeless, but then… she started singing a different song and I felt… confident. A… lot more confident… than usual."

Kenshin nodded slowly.

"That sounds like something Kaoru would do. It doesn't seem like her singing is meant to lead anyone astray, like we initially thought an onibi might. Maybe it's her personality affecting it differently, since her powers were unnaturally forced upon her."

"Oh!" Akira looked out-of-the-blue excited. "I've been rereading all the research I have on onibi, and I remembered that there's a similar phenomenon in western culture called a will-o'-the-wisp. They were also said to lead travelers astray, but there's another part to their lore. They could also represent a hope or goal that is impossible to reach, which would lead you astray in a sense. For me, though, it wasn't so much an impossible goal, but rather one I thought was impossible…" His voice trembled off in embarrassment, and his ears turned red.

Tomoe smiled and completely missed why he would be embarrassed. "So instead of leading you astray, she led you back. Oh, Kaoru will like that much better."

"Let's not make too many assumptions before we can verify it, please." Like a teacher walking in on students, Megumi stood with arms crossed in the door.

"Of course, Megumi-sensei." Tomoe bowed her head, but her smiling features contradicted her words.

"I'd also rather not add too much on her right now while she tries to get that flame of hers under control. How much longer do you think she needs, Ken-sama? She's had enough time to get her thoughts straight, and you're much too soft on her when it comes to asking questions."

Kenshin sighed, but knew the vixen was right. Kaoru easily deflected his questions about her past and the time she had spent with Sōjirō. All it took was the minutest glimmer of distress on her face for him to give up. It made him wish they could have locked away those memories for good.

"I want to work with her some more, but she's getting better. Maybe another week."

"Good. Now get to work."

X

A/N: Song lyrics were taken from Through Fire, "My Son". I absolutely have no rights to those. See you next week.